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Movie Review - Disturbia (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
D.J. Caruso |
| Starring: |
Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and David Morse |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for language, sequences of terror and violence, and some sensuality) |
| Length: |
104 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller |
| Tagline: |
Every killer lives next door to someone |
| Studio: |
Dreamworks |
| Website: |
Disturbia |
| Release: |
April 13, 2007 |
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PLOT
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A year after his "Michael Bolton lookalike" father's accidental death, Shia LaBeouf refuses to do his
Spanish homework, eliciting an insensitive "what would your dad think?" remark from his Spanish teacher.
Taking offense to the patriarchal reference, LaBeouf answers, "Can I touch you...there?" and gives teach
a faceful of fist, relieving some tension but landing him in court.
Due to LaBeouf's under-18 status and the hardship of dealing with his dad's death, the judge decides to
go easy on the kid and places him under house arrest. LaBeouf can't step beyond a 100-foot perimeter of
his house, and when his mother, Trinity from The Matrix, cancels his Xbox Live account and his
iTunes subscription, welp, he's left with nothing better to do than break out the binoculars and spy on
his neighbors.
His hot new neighbor (Roemer) and her swimming pool excursions first catch his eye, but his attention is
gradually drawn to the weird neighbor (Morse) who drives the exact type of old Mustang that a missing
girl was last seen in. Could this guy be a serial killer who still hasn't gotten over the cancellation of
Hack? Or is LaBeouf's imagination just getting the better of him? A fairly effective Hitchcock
emulation ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Make no mistake; Disturbia sets its sights clearly on the younger generation. In an effort to let its
target audience know just how cool and hip it is, Disturbia wraps its mystery in modern technological
conventions. Cell phones, live video feeds, text messaging - they all have a part to play. As does teenage
voyeurism, teenage romance, and all-around teenage shenanigans. Rear Window for Teenagers is an
alternate title it readily embraces.
But somewhere along the way it also figures out how to entertain more than just that demographic. Keep in
mind that if you're looking for a serious, truly Hitchcockian approach to thrill-making, well, there are
plenty of actual Hitchcock movies for you to rent. This is a thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously
and doesn't expect the audience to either. Humor is sprinkled throughout, especially in regard to some of the
film's "twists," and for a majority of the film's runtime, the mood is kept light and entertaining, making
sure you never mistake it for something it isn't.
It's simply a crowd-pleaser that asks you to enjoy the popcorn and ignore the lapses in logic. It does take a
little while to get to the meat of mystery, but by the time all Hades starts to bust loose, Disturbia
effectively cranks the thrills up a notch and transforms into a good example of how a PG-13 thriller can
manufacture a little tension without relying on shock value and gore.
As for the acting, well, it's better than you'll likely expect. The always dependable David Morse is at his
David Morsest here, meaning he knows how to perfectly creep everybody out. Newcomer Sarah Roemer makes a strong
claim as my newest Hollywood crush with her intelligently sexy performance. Sure, she's hot, but she possesses a
certain playfulness that makes her character all the more appealing. And hats off to Shia LaBeouf who, while not
sending me to the video store lookin' for LaBeouf rentals, is at least convincing as a dorky kid with raging
hormones.
Disturbia doesn't exactly bust out the shovel and break any new ground within the thriller genre, but
it provides just enough laughs and tension to entertain those of you who don't approach your moviegoing experience
with too much pretension. Walk in expecting a little fun, rather than greatness, and you should have a good time.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- For writer Christopher Landon, the genesis (that's "beginning" for those of you in Frayser) for
Disturbia arose from a visit to his sister's home deep in the 'burbs of Los Angeles' San Fernando
Valley. "Everyone pretty much considers suburbia as something that is idealistic and beautiful... but it's
always kind of given me the creeps," Landon says. "One night, as I was driving home from my sister's place,
this idea just popped into my head - a story about a kid who is stuck in his house and begins to notice
bizarre things happening across the way. He eventually comes to suspect that his neighbor is a serial
killer."
- David Morse broke three fingers during a fight scene "but he didn't mention it, because he didn't
want his character to seem weak."
- Johnny Betts broke three fingers while writing this review but finished it without saying a word
because he didn't want his readers to think he was weak.
- Looking for the perfect house for the movie involved a countrywide search.
Neighborhoods in North Carolina and Georgia were explored as were areas in California and every studio
backlot in town ... The major stumbling block proved to be finding the right backyard, since it entailed
knocking on doors or, perhaps, hopping fences. But director D.J. Caruso had an idea - a helicopter ride.
"We had to go up in a chopper and actually start educating ourselves on different backyards since that
was the quickest way to view them," says producer E. Bennett Walsh. "That's how we ultimately found what
ended up being Turner's (Morse) backyard."
- Whenever Johnny has flown over backyards in a helicopter, he's been charged with violating people's
privacy. He resents the double standard at play here.
- The production split up Kale's (LaBeouf) house into three locations: the front was in Whittier,
California (with Ashley's (Roemer) house right next-door); the back of the house was in Pasadena (a
false "back" was built and a fence was erected between the façade and Turner's house); and interiors,
primarily Kale's bedroom, his late father's study and the first floor kitchen, which were constructed on
soundstages on the Paramount Pictures lot. Any given scene might have to be filmed in three locations,
and all the shots, of course, needed to match for continuity purposes.
- Caruso and the design team went so far as to scout teenagers' rooms to crib ideas and plug into the
utmost in current teen bedroom reality - complete with chaos. As Production designer Tom Southwell
explains, "Parents allowed me to photograph the mess their teenagers had made, as well as all the kids'
personal touches. So there were posters, CDs, computers, books, pictures on the walls, clothes on the
floor -- an explosion of visual material. As we would go through these houses, D.J. would come over and
whisper to me, 'You know, I like that.'"
- Johnny Betts' room was considered for inspiration, but producers didn't "get" the concept of all the
Josh Brolin posters.
- David Morse was in Proof of Life with Russell Crowe who is in American Gangster with
Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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The content isn't too bad, but my mom wouldn't be too keen on my 12-year-old brother watching it.
Profanity is moderate, with only a few "s" bombs scattered throughout. Sexuality includes LaBeouf
spying on Ms. Roemer swimming in a skimpy bikini and somewhat undressing in her bedroom.
Also, as LaBeouf spies on some kids, we see them watching a porno, consisting of a girl shirtless but
with strategically placed hands that allow the movie to technically avoid containing "nudity." It's
enough to let us know the filmmakers are reaching out to the "16-year-old horndog male" demographic.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I would say the only thing the trailer might not prepare you for is that there is more humor and comedic
aspects in the film than I expected. That didn't bother me, but if you're looking for a dark thriller
with wall-to-wall tension then you may be disappointed.
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THE GIST
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As a thriller, Disturbia doesn't exactly play it straight. It's actually more of a comedy thriller.
A thrillomedy, perhaps? Thrillcom? Whatever. I checked my brain, suspended my disbelief, and had a fun
time. I suggest you do the same.
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